Burnout
by RobertDowneyJrLove
Summary: Cody Jackson is burnt out, after singing the same songs over and over again. When he winds up in the hospital with quick witted, stubborn nurse Melissa, he suddenly finds himself falling in love and discovering what music really is and what it means.
1. The Hospital and the Sassy Nurse

Jackson is suffering from some major burnout, and winds up in the hospital where he falls for aspiring singer and nurse Melissa Wu.

Jackson looked down, from his place on his stage, the guitar in his hands, watching various girls scream at him, some of them blonde, brunettes, some with black hair, some red heads, all wearing a T-shirt with his picture on it. He looked down at the neck of the guitar where his fingers automatically changed chords at the right time. He tried to ignore the sting of irritation the cigarette smoke was causing his eyes. He tried to ignore the smell of alcohol that was making him nauseous, as it entered his airways with every breath he took. His hand assaulted the guitar with his pick, the strings vibrating so hard, they looked as if they might break. His hand was cramping, screaming for him to stop, but he didn't, it was almost robotic, the more the song played, the more violent he got with his pick, every night, same thing, same songs, same crowd. He was so tired of it. He wanted it to stop.

Suddenly the music seemed to stop, his world was spinning, he didn't know what was going on. He fell to the floor, as his world went back, his body giving into his over exhaustion and his mind slipping into unconciousness. He felt nothing as his band mates tried to revive him, tried desparately to wake him, he couldn't hear the ambulance being called. The only thing he did notice in his unconcious state was the fact that clean, fresh oxygen was being delivered to his lungs.

When he finally came too, all he could see were sterile white walls, an overly bright flourescent light, and crisp white sheets, and a paper thin hospital gown, covering his body. It took a while but after half an hour, his still half unconscious, groggy mind, finally registered that he was in the hospital. The door creaked open and in came a nurse dressed in pink scrubs, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.

He looked over at her, and when his mind could form full sentences he spoke "Where am I?"

The nurse smiled, a perfectly white, overly cheerful smile as she said "You are in the hospital, you collapsed last night, don't you remember?"

Jackson shook his head, as he looked down at his hospital gown "No, when can I get out of here?"

The nurse checked the metal clip board in her hand and shook her head "Three days, the doctor said that you were exhausted and dehydrated, he wants you in here to rest and he wants to put you on fluids, get some fluids back in your system"

Jackson nodded and rubbed his eyes sleepily, before looking at the nurse again "When will I be put on fluids?"

The nurse looked at her clipboard and was about to answer when a tall doctor, with brown eyes and equally brown hair stepped in the room "Now"

He walked over to Jackson and tied a latex strip around his arm, and inserted the needle into the vein, before inserting the tube that connected to the plastic bag, holding the fluids. Once that was finished, he taped the tube to Jackson's arm.

The doctor hooked the bag up to a machine and the drip started, so the doctor explained "You only need one bag, but this one bag will take a while, but that does not mean you will not be able to eat or drink, in fact that's encouraged, the IV will only administer fluids to help your body get back to it's normal state of hydration, but the more you drink, the faster you may get it back to that state and you may not have to stay on the IV"

"I'll assign a nurse to come in here every once in a while to check" the Doctor told him

The doctor left the room and quietly returned to the nurses' station "Nurse Wu, you are assigned to Cody Jackson"

A petite Asian woman with long black hair and dark brown eyes stood up, her black scrubs clinging to her body, her black hair pulled back in a rough, messy bun, the slightly scratched name tag attached to her scrubs read Melissa.

"I'm on it James" Melissa sighed as she got up and grabbed the clip board James held out for her

She walked to the room and knocked before opening the door. She walked in the room to see a blonde haired, blue eyed boy looking incredibly bored.

"Well someone looks happy to be here" Melissa stated sarcastically as she hung the clip board on the end of his bed

He looked over at her giving a startled jump "Ah you scared the crap out of me"

"Nice greeting" Melissa stated dryly rolling her eyes "I'm your nurse for the night, sorry if you don't like me, you're stuck with me"

She smiled sweetly and he gave a dry chuckle "I guess I don't have a choice"

"No you really don't, but let me put it this way, I'm the kind of girl who will not be humored by what you call wit, so don't go there" Melissa told him, her voice sharp as she adjusted a few things

Jackson made a face, pretending to mock her "So don't go there"

Melissa turned to glare at him "You just had to do it didn't you?"

Jackson laughed "Sorry but you forgot to mention the rule that said no mocking"

"I'm sorry I thought that was included in the whole will not be humored by your wit thing" Melissa snapped

Jackson laughed and said "Mocking was never included in that, you should really be more specific"

"You should really be less annoying" Melissa mocked, sarcasm dripping from every word

Jackson looked at her "Pigs will fly before I stop annoying the person who seems to have invented annoying"

"So pigs will fly before you stop annoying yourself" Melissa teased

"I'm guessing that was supposed to be funny" Jackson asked her

Melissa rolled her eyes "No sherlock, it's called a comeback, learn what it is and then give me a call"

"Sorry no can do" Jackson smirked

Melissa rolled her eyes and turned back to him "Why is that? You can't read"

"No I don't have your number" Jackson smirked

"Oh too bad" Melissa said, her voice becoming high pitched and sugary sweet, and obviously fake "I guess you can't call me, and just for the record, pigs really will fly before you get my number"

Jackson laughed sarcastically "I'm sorry there must have been a misunderstanding, sweetheart, I don't want nor do I need your number"

"Good to know, press the red button on the remote if you need me, now if we're through I have work to do" Melissa snapped as she quickly wrote something on the white board that was hanging on the wall by the door

He looked over at the white board and read what the quick witted nurse wrote 'You really do need new comebacks'.

Jackson laughed as he fell back on the pillows, he hadn't known her but fifteen minutes and yet he was already in love with her. He fell asleep that night dreaming of the quick-witted Asian nurse who had captured his heart with her wit, even if she did find him incredibly annoying.

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**Okay before I go any further with this note, I have to thank Jelissalover for all of the ideas and encouragement, without her I probably would not have gotten through the first chapter!!!!! She rocks!!! I have to admit though she is a much better writer than I am, I've been writing for four years and I'm not nearly as good as her!!!! **

**Anyway this is the first chapter of my latest story **_**Burnout, **_**I hope you liked it, please leave reviews, and I'm sorry but I do not do haters!!! **


	2. The Flirting Continues

Melissa Wu walked into work the next day, this time dressed in purple scrubs, her hair again in a messy bun. She walked into the staff lounge of the hospital and quickly clocked in. She passed by the coffee pot, and couldn't help but stop and pour a cup. She walked to her desk and found the clipboard from her latest assignment. She opened it and found a note inside 'my comebacks are fine, however your rules on wit and mockery do need some work, come by later and we'll talk'. She laughed as she sat her coffee cup down on her desk, ignoring the strange look she got from Kristina, her co-worker. She quickly grabbed a prescription sheet, and wrote a fake prescription for flirting techniques. She grabbed the clip board and the fake prescription, and walked to Jackson's room. She entered without knocking and found Jackson eating bacon and eggs and toast along with some orange juice.

"Well, well, well what do you know, there is a way to shut you up, if I knew it was that easy I would have done it yesterday and beat the nurse to it today" Melissa teased

Jackson looked up at his nurse "Food only keeps me quiet for a few minutes"

Melissa laughed "Obviously, so I have something for you"

She handed the fake prescription over to him. He read it and then started laughing.

"Funny, now about those rules on wit and mockery" Jackson changed the subject

Melissa smirked "None of that stuff you call wit and no mockery, now did you understand that"

"Yes ma'am" Jackson sank back onto the bed, a little scared.

Melissa smiled as she walked over to him and reached behind him untying his gown and then reaching up to take the bag off the pole "There's a shower pole for this thing, you must be dying for a shower, go take one and I'll find you something other than a stupid hospital gown, we must have something else"

She helped him to the bathroom, and couldn't help but admire his nice firm butt as he walked away from her, the IV bag dangling from his finger.

"Stop checking me out" Jackson called behind him as he walked into the bathroom

Melissa threw her head back and laughed "Sorry but you must be crazy if you think I was staring at you"

Jackson turned and leaned against the doorway of the hospital bathroom "Well did you like what you saw"

Melissa rolled her eyes "Go take a shower ego-boy"

Jackson laughed and followed her orders to go take a shower. Melissa shook her head and walked out of the room to find Jackson something other than a hospital gown.

"Kristina" Melissa called as she reached the nurse's station "Do we have something for Mr. Jackson to wear, he's not comfortable in his gown"

Kristina nodded and went to retrieve a pair of pajama pants. When she returned she noticed Melissa blushing.

"Are you okay Melissa?" Kristina asked her

Melissa nodded and said "Thanks for the pajama pants"

She grabbed them and walked back to the room, Jackson was in.

"Here" She said as she threw the pants to Jackson, who was sitting on the edge of the bed in a hospital gown

"Thanks" He said as he stood up to put them on

She checked his clip board and then said "I've got to give you a check up"

She hummed as she moved to start his check up. She checked his heart beat, pulse and his eyes.

"Now I have my own special method of checking reflexes" Melissa teased

Jackson laughed "I'm sure I can take it"

She punched his knee...hard.

"Ow" Jackson howled in pain

She repeated the...check up on his other knee and again he howled in pain.

"I thought you could take it" Melissa teased as she stood back up

Jackson glared at her "Huh that was before I knew you had fists of steel"

Melissa giggled and said "Sorry"

Jackson laughed as they finished the check up and Melissa helped him get into the pajama pants and maneuver around the I.V to get his gown off.

"Alright as much as I would love to stay and have a nice long, no doubt sarcastic chat I have a mountain of paperwork to do" Melissa told him

"Alright, and do me a favor, work on those comebacks" Jackson winked as he laid back on the bed

Melissa smirked as she said "Do me a favor, work on those insults, they suck"

Jackson returned her smirk as he said "Oh my insults are fine, but your wit could use some work"

Melissa rolled her eyes as she chuckled dryly "Hardy har har, you're so funny, but honey my wit does not need work, yours however...eh"

It was Jackson's turn to roll his eyes "If you say so, but I know better, and you can erase your little message on the white board now"

"Not until you actually get the message" Melissa smirked as she walked toward the door

Jackson laughed "Sorry my dear that will never happen"

Melissa laughed as she walked out the door. She had barely known him a day and yet she was already in love with him even if she thought he found her incredibly annoying.

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**Alright chances are if you are reading this, you made it through the short second chapter!!! Once again I have to thank Jelissalover for her never ending support, and I love all of her ideas and I have to say I could have never started this story without her and her never ending encouragement!!! **

**I love reviews and if you do so, I will love you forever!!!!**


	3. The Almost Kiss

At lunch time that same day, Melissa came back to Jackson's room to check his I.V and to make sure his heart was still beating. Well let me just say this, if it wasn't before, it certainly was when she walked in, she had traded her messy bun for a ponytail and had traded her purple shirt for a black one.

"I hate dealing with surgery patients" Melissa grumbled as she walked over to him and started checking his I.V

Jackson laughed and let her check him "Now why do you hate surgery patients"

"Because those were new scrubs and someone sat up and well you can probably guess the rest, I would say but I don't need you puking all over me" Melissa grumbled again

Jackson laughed while Melissa went about changing the tape holding the I.V tube to his arm. Even though it didn't need to be changed, he figured she needed the distraction, what he wasn't prepared for was the pain that came with the distraction. He didn't know what she was about to do as he was watching the TV however he did know what she was doing when he felt every hair on that part of his arm being pulled out...by the root.

"OW" Jackson yelled after Melissa ripped the tape off of his arm

Melissa giggled softly "Sorry should have warned you"

Jackson looked at her "You think, I think you just pulled every bit of hair out on that part of my arm, by the root"

Melissa laughed "I'm sorry, look a little cool water will fix that right up, and then I need to clean the area around the I.V"

She grabbed a gauze pad and walked into the bathroom and ran it under the cool water. She brought it out and laid it where the tape had ripped his hair out. While the cold water was soothing the stinging, she grabbed the rolling table with a gauze lined tray, on it was a bottle of anti-septic, long q-tips, gauze pads and more tape. She took the cool gauze off of his arm, and dried it with another piece of gauze. She grabbed a q-tip and soaked it with anti-septic, and then grabbed his arm after snapping on some latex gloves.

"Just rest your arm on this table" She instructed while lowering the table to adjust for the lack of bed height

Once his arm was on the table, she started her work, she cleaned all of the excess glue off from where the previous tape had been and then she cleaned the area around the needle. After she was done, she folded a small piece of gauze and placed it over the place where the needle was inserted into his vein and then taped it place.

"There you go" Melissa told him smiling sweetly and then set about putting the rest of the stuff up

"Could you adjust my bed a little?" Jackson requested while she pulled her latex gloves off and used some hand sanitizer to get the powder off

Melissa nodded and walked over to him after she had finished putting the stuff away and disposing of the used items. She quickly realized the way his bed was positioned she would have to lean over him to adjust it.

"Up please" Jackson requested

Melissa nodded "Okay I'm gonna have to lean over you to do it"

She leaned over him, having to stand on her tip-toes to reach over the width of the bed. Once he was up enough she started to lean away. Her right hand rested on one of the railings by his head while her left rested on the other railing, he reached up and wrapped an arm around her back pulling her lower. Their lips were just about to meet, when a knock on the door disturbed them. They quickly jumped apart, Jackson pretending to watch TV while Melissa pretended to be looking over Jackson's file which was hanging on the end of the bed on a clip board.

Kristina came in the door "Melissa, James wants to see you, he says it's important"

Melissa managed to control her voice long enough to say "Okay I'm coming"

Melissa started toward the door and walked out without so much as looking at him. She rushed out of the door, Jackson left staring at the spot where she had once been. Both in shock at the kiss that almost happened.

As the reality of the situation sank in for both of them, they were both extremely shaken over the what if's. What if they hadn't been interrupted? What if that kiss did happen? What if they did fall in love? What would happen?

So many questions and neither had the answers they needed.

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**Hey, this is chapter three, I know the ending is kind of um suckish but I had trouble tweaking it like I wanted it but I guess if you think about it, an awkward ending helps you to understand how awkward the situation is.**

**REVIEW...REVIEW...REVIEW**

***Singsongs* Review the next chapter comes faster **


	4. The Kiss Edited

The next day the almost kiss still lingered on Jackson and Melissa's minds. Of course Kristina was clueless as to what she had charged in on, and if Melissa could help it, she would remain that way. Melissa had read on Jackson's file that he was a singer.

_He's a rockstar, he's popular, he's going to get out of here and forget all about you, you might as well forget about it _Melissa thought sipping her coffee

She nearly spit the scorching hot coffee all over herself when she took that first sip, she could feel the hot liquid burning her mouth and throat. She groaned, this was going to be a bad day, she could tell that already, and it was all Jackson's fault.

Jackson meanwhile was not having a better day, first he had spilled orange juice all over his stomach and was now sticky as the nurse that cleaned him up didn't do a very good job and then refused to let him get up and take a shower. The almost kiss lingered in his mind and he was pretty sure it would be all day.

_She's a nurse, she has lots of patients, she'll probably forget about you the minute you leave, you might as well forget about it _Jackson thought eating his breakfast absentmindedly

A few hours after breakfast Melissa came in, and after seeing the shotty clean up, the previous nurse had done, she had taken his I.V bag down and started to help him up.

"Go take a shower, that orange juice has got to be sticky" Melissa mumbled handing him the bag before moving his table out of the way so he could stand up

He looked at her, but she refused to make eye contact with him, he shook his head and got up, heading to the shower.

Melissa stared after him, her eyes glossy with tears, she wanted so bad to talk to him but honestly she didn't know where to start. She set about cleaning his room. She changed his sheets and blankets, disposed of his left over breakfast and orange juice. She wiped his table and moved it to the side of the bed. She brought his bed up so that he could sit up.

He came out of the shower now wearing a t-shirt with his pajama pants, he found his room clean, his bedding changed and his table wiped clean of the sticky orange juice that was the result of his clumsiness that morning. He walked over and climbed in bed while Melissa took his bag and put it back on the hook. She changed his gauze and put some clean dry gauze on.

"Dr. Winston will be in this afternoon to check over everything, tomorrow will be the earliest you can be released" Melissa told him busying herself with disposing of used materials

Jackson nodded "Okay"

Melissa turned to him "About yesterday"

"Look" Jackson interrupted "If you want to forget what almost happened yesterday that's fine I'm fine with it"

"Yea forget about it, that's good" Melissa mumbled

Truth was neither one of them wanted to forget it, they wanted to actually kiss. They wanted to feel that familiar feeling you get when you kiss, that one of passion, love and excitement.

"I don't want to forget about it" Melissa finally burst as she whirled around, tears streaming down her face

Jackson opened his arms "C'mere"

She walked over to him and he pulled her on the bed and into his arms.

"I don't want to forget about it either, but unlike yesterday I want what almost happened to actually happened" Jackson told her

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes. He put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer, she put her hands on his shoulders as they leaned closer. Their lips finally met in a fiery passionate kiss. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her. She moaned softly, as the kiss deepened. They only pulled apart when air became a necessity.

"That was" Melissa panted

"Incredible" Jackson panted right back

She climbed off of him and fixed her hair "My boss would kill me if he knew what we were up to in here"

"He already does" A familiar voice said behind her

Melissa turned towards her boss James Winston "I didn't know you had come in"

"Well I guess not, what with your tongue down Mr. Jackson's throat and all" James told her

Melissa cringed "Uh...uh"

"My office now Ms. Wu, you and I have to discuss your job" James told her, his voice stern

Melissa cringed and looked back at Jackson while mouthing "We'll talk later"

Jackson nodded and when they were out the door, he fell back on his bed and laughed at the whole situation. They had finally kissed and now it was possible Melissa could lose her job because her boss of all people had walked in.

Melissa meanwhile walked into her boss's office and sat down, James sat down behind his desk.

"Now " James started "We have to discuss this"

"I understand Mr. Winston" Melissa told him

James looked at her "You could lose your job over this"

"I know that" Melissa exclaimed standing up "But let me tell you something I've never felt anything like I did when I kissed him"

James stood up and put his hands on his desk "That doesn't change the fact that you showed completely disreguard for the rules of this hospital, you kissed your patient, you are his nurse not his friend"

Melissa felt tears stinging her eyes as she said "I know I broke the rules but guess what I don't care"

James glared at her "Ms. Wu, you have hown complete disreguard for the rules of this hospital, you know that nurses are not allowed to be involved with patients"

Melissa offered a sarcastic chuckle " Do I have a sign written on my forehead that says 'completely stupid?, last time I checked I didn't, James I know nurses can't be involved with patients, but I fell for him, and I'm sorry if you can't understand that"

James looked down "You know I have to report this"

Melissa flung the door open and threw a short "Report it" over her shoulder before she stormed out, the door slamming shut in her wake.

James sighed as he sat down and grabbed the necessary papers to report Melissa.

Melissa stood outside his office waiting for everyone to leave for lunch before sliding down the wall and before the reality of what just happened could sink in, she was sobbing into her knees.

What was happening to her life? Was she really going to give it all up for a guy she barely knew? She was and she didn't care what people thought of it. It was her life, her choice, she could do whatever she wanted to do, and she was gonna keep her man, no matter what people thought.

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**Disclaimer: Until Johnny Pacar agrees to become my own personal love slave, I own none of these characters! **

**Reviews are welcome and thanks to my always wonderful co-writer Jelissalover, without her, I would be no where and I would definitely no be on the fourth chapter by now, I just started this story last week and usually it takes forever for these stories to develop! **


	5. Author's Note

**Hey Guys, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of your support! **

**Thank you Jelissalover, Twilighter890 and Dally2, they have been amazing, even though I just met Dally2 I still want to thank her for her help, she's amazing the next chapter will be based on an idea that she gave me!!!! So thank you so much!!! Thank you Jelissalover for giving me ideas and being sort of like a beta! **


	6. The Diagnosis

Jackson didn't see Melissa for the rest of the day, but that night Melissa came in to see him, dressed in jeans and a green t-shirt that said 'Proud to be Asian'. Melissa smiled as she came in, her tennis shoes squeaking against the floor.

"Hey" Melissa greeted Jackson who smiled as he quickly took her into his arms

"Hi" He greeted huskily as he leaned forward to connect their lips

The kiss was fiery and exciting. Melissa moaned and put her hands on his shoulders forcing to him to lean back on the still up righted bed. His hands held her hips as the kiss continued. She straddled him as the kiss went on until the need for air became a necessity.

"I didn't know it was even better the second time around, I would have done earlier, had you come in here" Jackson teased her

Melissa cast her eyes down "My boss put me on leave, and told me if I wanted to see you I would have to wait until visiting hours"

Jackson put two fingers under her chin and tilted her head back up "Hey, hey, hey no need to cry, I'm out of here tomorrow, and then we can do whatever we want, if we want to be in a relationship than we'll be in one, your boss can't stop it"

Melissa nodded but the tears still streamed down her face "I know, I just hate having to wait until six to see you"

She stayed with him until visiting hours were over at eight. Once she was out, she walked to the desk and pulled out Cody Jackson's file. She opened it and read over it. She learned that his full name was Cody Richard Jackson born to Johnny Richard Jackson and Cindy Marie Jackson. She learned that he was born June 1st, a year before she was. She found out that he went from foster home to foster home before finally finding his mother, who was not at all what Jackson had been told. She finished reading his file and quickly put it back before walking out of the hospital.

The next day it was nearly three, before Melissa was allowed to see Jackson, dressed in jeans and a tight black t-shirt, she knocked on his door before walking in. She smiled at him and noticed a woman with long brownish blonde hair and tall black haired with warm brown eyes (Johnny from Summerland was who I had in mind when I invented the character).

"Hey Sweetheart" Jackson greeted motioning her over

"Hey" Melissa greeted

"Mel, this is my mom Cindy and my dad Johnny" Jackson introduced

After the introductions were made, Jackson looked over at Melissa pouting "What no kiss?"

Melissa laughed and leaned down, kissing his pout away "That's all you get, now I thought you were getting out here today"

"Well as it turns out I'm borderline anemic so they want to correct that before it becomes an issue" Jackson grumbled and pouted

Melissa ran one of her hands through his hair "Stop complaining, anemia is serious, if you do wind up with it, you may not be able to do anything, you'll be tired all the time"

"Hmm I know but I still have to stay in here a few extra days" Jackson told her, as she kept running her hand through his hair

"Hey I don't care I'd just like to have you out of here healthy if you don't mind" Melissa told him smiling

"You keep doing that and I might be healthy but I definitely won't be awake when I get out of here, you'll have to wheel me out on this bed" Jackson joked his eyelids growing heavy

Melissa smiled and stopped, laughing when he pouted and said "I didn't mean for you to stop"

Melissa laughed "You want to fall asleep?"

He looked at her and it was then she noticed the tiredness reflected in his blue gray eyes "Alright, but stop pouting"

When he was asleep his parents looked over at her "What is anemia?"

"Anemia is when the white blood cells out number the red blood cells causing a red blood cell deficiency, it causes tiredness, and judging from the way he looked when he came in here I don't know why no one saw it before, he was so tired he was nearly unconcious by the time they got him here and he had trouble paying attention to anything, from what his main doctor told me, he couldn't concentrate" Melissa explained

"And if he does actually get it, what can be done" Cindy asked her

"Depends on the type of anemia, if it's iron deficiency anemia, the doctor will most likely give him a iron supplement containing ferrous sulfate or ferrous gluconate, but he does have other options depending on the severity of the disease, he can also eat lots of citrus that provide him with vitamin C, it aids in the body's ability to absorb iron" Melissa explained "But vitamin supplements given orally such as folic acid or subcutaneously vitamin b-12 can also replace specific deficiencies"

Melissa went on to explain "In anemia of chronic disease, anemia associated with chemotherapy, or anemia associated with renal disease, some doctors prescribe recombinant erythropoietin, epoetin alfa, to stimulate red cell production, but in severe cases of anemia with ongoing blood loss, a blood transfusion may be necessary, doctors tend to try to avoid it, because of the adverse affects it can have on patients such as the physiological principle that reduction of oxygen delivery associated with anemia leads to adverse clinical outcomes is balanced by the finding that transfusion does not necessarily mitigate these adverse clinical outcomes"

Johnny wrapped an arm around his wife and smiled softly "Cind we got lucky with this one, she's a nurse so you know she'll kick his butt into shape"

"Don't worry her wit and sarcasm does that" Jackson grinned playfully from behind them

Cindy and Johnny laughed while Melissa just blushed and said "Hey I didn't hear you complaining, as I seem to recall the first time we met you were rather enthusiastic about getting into a sarcastic conversation with me"

"Well I didn't have a choice, I mean you are the inventor of sarcasm" Jackson teased playfully

Melissa laughed "Watch what you say or you'll be cut off from kissing me for a while"

Jackson quickly shut up "Yea I'm gonna shut up now"

"Good Idea" Melissa smiled sweetly

She leaned down and kissed him when they pulled back, he pulled her down and whispered "You can't go five minutes without kissing me"

There was a knock on the door before his doctor also known as Melissa's boss came in. Jackson figured he had the results of the multitude of blood tests they had run earlier.

"Hello Mr. Jackson, we have your test results back" Dr. Winston announced blatantly ignoring Melissa "You are in fact anemic, it is iron deficiency anemia, you will be given an iron supplement and you need to add more vitamin C to your diet"

He looked at Melissa and said "I'm sure Ms. Wu will explain more"

Once Dr. Winston was gone, Melissa turned to Jackson "You're going to have to adjust to the fact that you can only go so long before you get tired, you'll never be completely healed of anemia, it's just the way it works, once enough iron is in your system you'll start to feel better but you still shouldn't over do it, no more shows, it'll be too crazy, you'll get too much of an adrenaline rush, you'll get tired and crash again, so no more shows for a while, this isn't going to be something you can just heal like you can the flu, it's going to take some time for your body to absorb the iron from the supplement, and the vitamin C, once iron is in your blood and it starts circulating you should start feeling better but that does not give you permission to go crazy, you have to let your body completely recover from the anemia and the adrenaline rush that brought you here, I know it's been three days but if an adrenaline rush is so big it puts you in the hospital, you need to take more than a day to recover from it, chances are there's still some adrenaline rushing through your system. When that starts wearing off you'll know it because you'll suddenly be getting to know the white porcelain god personally"

Both Johnny and Jackson laughed as Johnny spoke up "She's funny"

"Yea wait until you're seeing your breakfast, lunch and dinner in reverse, then we'll see how funny I am" Melissa joked with him

Once everything was explained, Jackson's parents left and Melissa turned to Jackson.

"I know how scary this can be" Melissa told him softly "I was anemic when I was a teenager, was not fun"

Jackson nodded and leaned up to kiss her. Their lips met in a passionate kiss that lasted way longer than it should have. Jackson honestly wasn't too sure about what was going to happen but he figured if he had Melissa it would all be okay.

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**Hey, I'm sorry I took so long with this chapter, but it went in a completely different direction than I had planned! Argh I hate when I do that! **

**Thanks for the reviews by the way! and please take into account that all of this medical stuff is based on what I could get off the internet so I'm sorry, the anemia stuff is correct but as for the adrenaline thing, if it's wrong feel free to let me know and I will take it off and change it, I am not very knowledgable when it comes to that sort of stuff! **

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	7. The Release

The next day neither Jackson and Melissa could remember even the slightest detail about the whirlwind that was the night before. That afternoon when she walked in his room, she looked as happy as a kid on Christmas day.

"Alright you, you are getting out of here today" Melissa grinned

"How I thought it would be a few more days" Jackson asked her

Melissa grinned mysteriously "I pulled a few strings, your mom signed your release forms and you'll be staying with me for a while but you're still getting out of here"

He reached out and grabbed her hips tugging her closer "Hmm I don't mind staying with you although I hope you know, the time our lips will be detached is very little"

"I know, why do you think I'm bringing you to my house" Melissa smirked

"Hmm michevious" Jackson whispered crashing his lips to hers

The kiss was passionate but no doubt loving. Her arms wrapped his neck as he pulled her closer by her hips before wrapping his arms around his waist. They broke apart only when air was a necessity.

"Mr. Jackson" Dr. Winston said coming in "here are your release forms and as soon as their signed I'll remove the I.V"

Jackson signed the papers and Dr. Winston removed the I.V. Jackson received his clothes and went to change. When he came out, Melissa had everything ready to go.

"You ready?" Melissa asked

He walked over to her, wrapped his arms around her waist and resumed the kiss that had been previously interrupted by his doctor.

"Let's go" He whispered huskily

They walked out of the hospital, hand in hand. Melissa put his stuff in her car and drove to her apartment. He immediately went to sit down on her couch.

"I'll set the guest room unless you'd rather take up residence in my room in which case we might need to set a few ground rules" Melissa smiled as she walked over to him

He pulled her down onto his lap "Your room, however I think you must know, I will have to kiss you most of the time I'm here"

"Oh I don't mind, in fact I was rather looking forward to that particular activity, if it's not to tiring" Melissa smirked

"Don't worry I'll get plenty of rest, I've got a good nurse" Jackson whispered pulling her down for a kiss

Melissa smiled into the kiss, causing Jackson to deepen it. When they pulled back, Melissa got up from his lap and sat beside him, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You know about my past don't you?" Jackson suddenly whispered

Melissa nodded hesitantly "We're required to know, it comes with the territory to see if anything in your past might have contributed to your current health problems, but we determined you had just over worked your self"

"They were pushing me and I let them" Jackson told her

Melissa looked at him in confusion "What do you mean?"

"My band, they were pushing me to hard and I let them do it, I couldn't or wouldn't see what I was doing to myself" Jackson told her

Melissa leaned up and kissed him hard (they can't keep their lips off of each other can they?) "Sometimes we don't, when I was a teen I never saw what I was letting my parents do to me and what I was doing to myself"

Jackson laughed "You know sometimes I thought I could have stopped it but now I know if I hadn't I wouldn't have met you"

"You're right, you wouldn't have, but guess what, you won't have me if we don't get food now" Melissa told him smiling playfully

She ordered some Chinese food and they sat watching TV while waiting for the Chinese food. Once the food was in, they settled in to watch TV.

"Well I'm going to take a shower, there's a shower in the guest bathroom down the hall, last door on the left by the way, if you want tomorrow we can go get you some more clothes or have your mom bring them" Melissa told him after they had finished eating

Jackson nodded "I might just have her bring some, I don't think I'm going to feel like going anywhere for a few days

"No probably not, I dropped your prescription off at the pharmacy, I'll go get it after I shower" Melissa told him

They both got up and went to go shower. True to her word, after she had showered and dressed she went to the pharmacy to get his prescription. When she got home, she set it down when she heard the sound of him puking in the guest bathroom. She rushed in and kneeled down next to him, rubbing his back.

"I...guess...the..adrenaline rush is wearing off" Jackson muttered when he was done emptying his stomach into the toilet

She suppressed a giggle and wiped his sweaty forehead with a cool wet cloth, before handing him a toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Have at it" Melissa told him stepping into the guest bedroom

He brushed his teeth and walked back out.

"Maybe I had better go to bed, I'm not feeling to good" Jackson whispered

She nodded and lead him to her bedroom, he collapsed on the bed and she kissed his forehead.

"I'm going to lock up the apartment and make sure all the lights are out and then I'll come to bed too" Melissa told him

Jackson nodded and Melissa left to lock up the apartment and make sure all the lights were out. When she came back to her bedroom, Jackson was already sound asleep. She crawled into bed, and even though he was asleep, he wasted no time in pulling her closer.

Let's just say that neither one of them were deprived of sleep that night.

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**Hey People, here's chapter six. I know that was fast but I had already started it when I finished chapter five. REVIEW! **

**Disclaimer: Again because I seriously doubt Johnny Pacar is going to agree to become my own personal love slave, I own nothing, I just borrow these characters and when I'm done twisting and corrupting them for my own personal pleasure I put them back where I got them! **

**Thanks again to Jelissalover and all of my supporters but especially her because she's the one who inspired me to write this story and she's been my biggest supporter!**


	8. The Screaming match

CCThe next morning Melissa woke up to Jackson rushing to the bathroom, she got up and hurried after him. When she was got there, he was emptying what was left of his stomach into the toilet. Honestly neither of them thought there was anything left.

"I...didn't think...there was anything left" Jackson mumbled wincing at the contents of the toilet bowl

Melissa held back a smile as she wiped his feverish forehead "See what I mean, once that adrenaline starts leaving your system, you won't be able to keep anything down"

Jackson nodded and fell against her shoulder as she cleaned him up.

"Ugh I don't think I can go anywhere today" Jackson mumbled into her shoulder

Melissa rubbed his back "Okay I'll call your mom and have her bring you some clothes"

"I uh need to brush my teeth, I'm gonna puke again with this taste in my mouth" Jackson mumbled

She helped him stand up. While he was brushing his teeth, she flushed the toilet and cleaned up the bathroom.

"Come on let's get you back in bed" Melissa whispered

She helped him get back in and then kissed his forehead as he fell into a deep but restless sleep. She grabbed her purse and dug out a piece of paper, dialing the number that was written on the piece of paper, after talking to his mom and giving her, her addresss she hung up. She walked into the kitchen upon realizing she hadn't even had a cup of coffee yet. She turned on the coffee pot and sat down at the table waiting for her coffee to get done.

Ten minutes later the smell of coffee was wafting around the apartment. Melissa had poured a cup of coffee and was sitting on the couch, when she had to get up and answer the door. She smiled at Jackson's parents on the other side.

"Come on in, he's still sleeping, after his one sided conversation with the toilet this morning, I don't think he'll be getting up any time soon" Melissa told them

"Unless he smells coffee, then the bed is on it's own" A husky voice said behind her

Melissa giggled and walked up to him, he held her hips as they met for a quick kiss, before she walked into the kitchen and emerged with three more cups of coffee. They all settled in with a cup of coffee. They sat laughing and talking, and Melissa was thoroughly enjoying getting to know Jackson's parents. They were thoroughly enjoying watching their son interact with Melissa.

Melissa giggled every time a very amused Jackson poked her side "Jackson, stop"

"I don't wanna" Jackson whined poking her rib

A loud knock resounded on the door, Melissa got up to answer it as she said "Well you're going to have to, there's someone at the door"

Jackson pouted as Melissa left.

"Melissa is so charming" Cindy told her son smiling in obvious approval

"And pretty" Johnny spoke up

Cindy turned to look at her husband at the same as Jackson said "Watch it Dad"

Johnny laughed and kissed his wife "I'm sorry"

Melissa came in the living room with a very prim and proper couple behind her.

"Mom, Dad this is" Melissa was cut off midsentence

"What are you doing here you delinquent?" Melissa's mother gasped in shock

Jackson looked up at Melissa questioningly who turned to her mother "Mother, you can't be polite for one minute can you"

"Not when he is present" Her mother spoke up

"Then you're really not gonna like what I'm about to tell you" Melissa told them

"You're not dating him are you?" Melissa's mother spoke up

"Sharon, calm down" Melissa's father spoke up

"Richard stay out of this" Sharon snapped

She turned back to her daughter and started yelling before anyone could stop her "Do you not remember what happened? Your best friend's brother was stabbed"

"It wasn't by him Mother, he tried to stop it, it's in the past, do us all a favor and let it go" Melissa yelled at her mother

"You are not dating him, I forbid you to date him" Sharon yelled

"Whoa lady back up" Jackson declared standing up despite his weak state "I didn't know it was her best friend's brother that was stabbed, and I didn't do it, I barely even saw the guy that did do it and that guy went to jail that night, as a matter of fact, he's still in jail to this day"

"It was my best friend Daley Marin's older brother that was stabbed, I was there that night, he didn't know it, I came to see what he was up to, Daley said he always disappeared at night, so I followed him one night, I found him with that gang you hung out with, I tried to figure out what he was doing, and when he got stabbed I knew what was happening, he was part of that gang and he was doing something they didn't approve of" Melissa spoke up quietly

_Flashback-_

_Melissa crept around the corner quietly, peeking her head into the dark alley, the only illumination was from the full moon. She could see the outline of four guys. She finally spotted the outline she was looking for, and kept her eye on him. _

_"Hey back off, he didn't do anything to you" she heard the outline her eyes never left speak _

_In a flash she saw the familiar glint of someone's knife and heard a grunt as it entered the stomach of her best friend's brother. _

_"Are you stupid?" She heard another voice yell "the police are gonna be after us, we gotta get him out of here" _

_She ran to the nearest pay phone and placed an anonymous call to the police and then ran home, vowing to forget that horrible sight of her best friend's brother being stabbed. _

_End Flashback-_

"Melissa you were there?" Richard yelled, before losing his temper completely and screaming "You are to break up with this...delinquent, and find a man of good breeding and social status, I will not have my daughter dating a delinquent"

"I love him" Melissa finally screamed causing everyone to get quiet "Okay, I love him, I loved him that first day I saw him in the hospital, when he was so sick he could barely talk, I was in love with him, and I love that he's not perfect, sure he may have been there that night, but so was I, and no I'm not very proud of it, but if I hadn't been there that night, Jackson might have gone to jail instead, yea that's right I'm the one who called the police, I made it anonymous so no one would know, I gave them an exact description of the guy who did it, okay, so back off, I love Jackson and you can't change that"

Richard glared at his daughter "Come on Sharon, we're leaving"

Melissa watched her parents leave before turning to Jackson who immediately grabbed her hips and tugged her to him. He pulled her to his chest and buried his face in her hair.

"I love you too sweetheart" Jackson whispered kissing her head

Melissa sobbed into his chest "Why do they always do that? I'm sick and tired of it"

He rubbed her back and pulled her closer, holding her tighter "I don't know Sweetheart"

Melissa pulled back and ran into her bedroom. Jackson sighed as he turned and ran after her.

"Melissa" Jackson called jiggling the locked door "Come on sweetheart open up"

"Go Away" Melissa yelled

"Sweetheart, open up" Jackson called again, trying to break the lock on her door

He finally heard the lock break and the door flung open. He couldn't believe what he saw.

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**DUN DUN DUN! What did he see? Review and you'll find out sooner! **


	9. The razor and the lesson

Melissa, his sweet, beautiful Melissa, sat on the floor beside her bed holding a razor above her wrist. He couldn't believe, was she really doing what he thought she was doing?

"Melissa what are you doing?" Jackson asked rushing in and dropping to the floor

Melissa turned to him sobbing "It's not worth it"

Jackson looked at her confused as he whispered "What's not worth it sweetheart?"

"All of it, none of it's worth it anymore" Melissa yelled

Realization sank in and Jackson knew what she was talking about "Yes it is baby, you just have to believe it, I know your parents don't approve but my parents do and you didn't seem to care what your boss thought, so why start now"

"I can never be good enough in my parents eyes and this has just made me realize that none of it is worth it anymore" Melissa sobbed

He reached around Melissa and gently set his arm around her so that his hand was settled on the hand that held the razor, his other hand was on the wrist that she was about to cut.

"Give me the razor" Jackson spoke firmly

Melissa glared "No"

"Melissa, I am not playing games, give me the razor" Jackson spoke again his voice firmer

Melissa glared and reluctantly gave him the razor, once it was safely in his grasp, he took it in the living room and gave it to his dad "Get rid of it"

Jackson rushed back to the bedroom and before he could stop her, she rushed over and started pounding his chest. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her against him holding her against his chest tight to reduce her chances of getting away.

"I'm sorry" She whimpered "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry"

He looked down at the broken girl in his arms and suddenly felt the need to sing a few bars of a song, that popped into his head "I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing, with a broken heart, that's still beating, in the pain there is healing, in your name I find meaning"

She whimpered again "I'm sorry"

"No sweetheart, don't worry about it right now baby, you're hurt and upset, you didn't know what you were doing" He kissed her head, tears in his eyes

Her parents had been harsh with her and it was obvious she wasn't a strong as she wanted everyone to believe. His band had been harsh with him and he took it, believing every word they said, just like she had with her parents, but everyone broke once in a while and sometimes it took the break to be able to feel whole, sometimes the break was harsh and it took a while to be able to feel whole again, but ultimately you did feel whole again.

_She just gave life a whole new meaning _Jackson thought

When he looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms, he stood up and carefully set her down on the bed. He stared at her for a few minutes. Could it be this girl was going teach him more about life than he ever knew?

Little did he know, life wasn't even the beginning, he was going to learn about music and love, all because he fell in love with Melissa Wu.

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**I'll be honest with you, this is more mature than I usually write but I figured it could use a more mature edge. **

**The song I used for this chapter is Broken by Lifehouse, I do not own, I do not profit from using it! **

**Just to clear up, I know I've made this story rather hard to follow, but I promise it will be worth it okay? I've had a lot of questions reguarding whether Jackson was turned in the night of the stabbing mentioned in the previous chapter, just to clear up, Melissa reported the stabbing, not the person who actually did the stabbing, so they had to take everyone in, and Jackson was found innocent and another thing, the lack of Johnny and Cindy in the last chapter is due to the fact that I needed it to focus on Jackson defending himself, which is something he was never given a chance to do in the show after his past was revealed! Okay just to clear that up! Once again I have to thank my wonderful friend Jelissalover, she is absolutely incredible! Dally don't worry I haven't forgotten you thank you for everything you've done for me! Anyway enough of this sappy stuff! Review! **


	10. THANK YOU

**Hey guys, I know these things are really annoying but I just felt the need to say this. **

**Jelissalover-I don't know where I would be with you, I would not be this far I know that!!! Thank you so much! **

**Dally2- You gave such good ideas I have to thank you!! You rock! **

**To all my reviewers: Thank you so much, I love you all! **


	11. Melissa's not perfect

Jackson stared at the sleeping girl on the bed for a few minutes, before walking out of her bedroom and back into the living room.

"Melissa tried to cut her wrists, she was about to do it before I broke the lock on her bedroom door" Jackson told his mom and dad quietly

Johnny nodded "I took the razor outside and crushed it before throwing it away, it was mostly plastic so it was relatively easy to crush"

"I broke her lock but I won't fix it until I'm sure she's not gonna try this again, and later I'm gonna see if I can get her to talk me" Jackson spoke quietly

Cindy nodded "Don't push her, if she won't talk, you pushing her could just make her try it again"

Jackson nodded "But if she doesn't talk, she'll keep it all in and when she does finally let it all out, who knows what she'll do then, uh I hate to ask this but"

"Of course we'll stay" Johnny and Cindy said in unison

Jackson laughed "I still don't know how you do that"

"We've been married for over thirty years, it's a married thing" Cindy spoke up

Jackson laughed "That and knowing what I'm gonna say before I say it"

"We know you" Johnny told his son

Jackson went back into the bedroom to check on Melissa, he found her thrashing around the bed. He raced over to her and tried to wake her up.

"Mel, come on baby wake up" Jackson whispered shaking her "Come on baby wake up"

He finally had no choice but to pick her up and hold her. He cradled her against his chest. She whimpered and thrashed but finally she realized her was holding her, and stopped thrashing.

"Jackson" Melissa whimpered

"Yea baby it's me" Jackson whispered

Melissa finally woke up and buried her face in Jackson's neck "I'm sorry"

"Shh stop Mel, you have nothing to be sorry for" Jackson told her

Melissa broke down, sobbing into his neck. He pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair, kissing her head. Cindy and Johnny watched quietly from the doorway.

"Baby, you have to talk to me" Jackson whispered "tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours"

"My parents are stupid" Melissa whispered softly "I'll never be good enough in their eyes, I'm not perfect and they constantly remind me of that"

"You are perfect baby" Jackson told her "And it's not your fault if they're to dumb to see it but Mel you'll always be perfect in my eyes okay"

"I know that it's just hard" Melissa sighed leaning her forehead against his shoulder

"I know it's hard trying to please your parents but baby, that's no reason to try and cut your wrists" Jackson whispered firmly

Melissa nodded, as Jackson started rubbing her back. Cindy and Johnny, sure that Jackson had it under control, slipped out, closing the door behind them and going to get some stuff and to leave them alone for a while.

She looked up at him, her Asian face was blotchy and her eyes rimmed with red but to him she was still beautiful "Thank you for not saying what I was really trying to do"

Jackson smiled "No problem, I didn't think you really needed to be reminded of it completely so I figured a way around it"

Melissa leaned up and kissed his cheek "I know I can't avoid the subject forever but is it okay if we just don't talk about it right now?"

Jackson nodded "That's okay, as long as you realize you can't avoid it forever"

Melissa nodded and stood up, scanning her eyes over the room, she looked at her door "My lock is broken" she noted

Jackson nodded and stood up to stand behind her "I had to break it to get in here and I'm sorry to say it'll have to stay like that for a while"

Melissa cast her eyes toward the floor, her deep red carpet suddenly very interesting. Jackson looked at her and the guilt hit him in the stomach like a knife. He walked up to her and grabbed her upper arms, pulling her back against him.

Leaning down, he whispered "I'm sorry baby I didn't mean to say it like that"

"No, don't worry about it, I'm fine" Melissa mumbled pulling away and walking into the kitchen

_You blew it, good going Jackson, no way in hell she'll talk now _Jackson thought running his hand through his hair in frustration

"Melissa wait"

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	12. Trying

Melissa sat at her table, staring at the dark wood with hurt, pain filled eyes. She was overreacting, she knew that, and it wasn't even the comment that hurt her. Yea, the comment had stung, but it was the words not the way they were said, what stung her the most was looking at that broken lock and knowing that until it was fixed, it would always be a reminder, of what she had tried to do. It would always be a reminder, she had tried to kill herself.

"Melissa Wait" She heard his exclamation, and felt guilt tear into her stomach like knife

He had only answered her simple question, but she let her emotions get the best of her and now he felt like he had to apologize. She looked up as he came into the kitchen and sat down in front of her.

"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to say that" Jackson whispered

She stood up and turned away from him before he could see her tears "It's not what you said, or how you said it, it wasn't any of that"

"Then what was it" Jackson asked her

Melissa turned to him letting him see that she was openly crying "It wasn't anything you said, it was the broken lock. I know it's nothing, but everytime I look at it, I'm reminded of trying to kill myself"

"Talk to me baby" Jackson told her firmly

Melissa sat down and rubbed her eyes "It's everything that's been going on. You having anemia and being sick, my parents screaming at me, and at you. I can't take it all, Jackson you know I love taking care of you but it's my parents I can't handle, sometimes it feels I'm falling and there's no one there to catch me. I'm tired of it all, my parents are anything but approving of my current career, they'd rather me be a professional doctor then a nurse. I'm never perfect enough for them and I know I'll always be perfect in your eyes but sometimes that's not enough"

"Sometimes you wish your parents loved you for you, not for who they want you to be" Jackson whispered to her rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb

"Not just that, sometimes I wish they would just tell me good job or something, but they can't even do that, they always say, you can do better or how they expect perfection" Melissa sobbed

Jackson stood up and moved around behind her, pulling her up, he lead her into the living room. Still cradling her, he sat down on the couch, and pulled her into his lap.

"I know it must be hard, to want your parents to love you but Mel, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's hard for them to love you even they don't even know what love is, which seems to be their main problem, they have no idea what love is. Love isn't telling your daughter she can always do better, love is telling her that her best is all she can do and they don't expect more. They don't expect her to be perfect, they want her to do her best and let that be enough. It isn't being unhappy with what she does, it should be being happy that she's happy. They don't know what love is Mel, but you do, Mel, I think you've always known and because of that, you crave it from your parents" Jackson told her "And you're disappointed when they don't return the love that you give them"

Melissa wiped her eyes and looked up at him, her brown eyes filled with pain and sorrow "How did you know that?"

"Because Mel, I can read you, as hard as it is to believe, I can see in your eyes, you love your parents but you get disappointed when they don't return it even though you crave it" Jackson whispered to her

Melissa stood up "I need to stop letting myself get disappointed by my parents and have more confidence in what I can do and what I have"

Jackson smiled and stood up "No more razors?"

"Except when I'm shaving my legs, no more razors" Melissa nodded

Jackson knew that this wasn't completely over, but she was feeling better and he wasn't about to destroy it.

"We have food" they heard Johnny announce

"Oh I hope you don't mind" Jackson started

"They can stay" Melissa giggled as she went to help them with the food

Melissa, realizing Jackson wasn't following her, turned back to him "I'm sorry but have you absolutely no respect for your parents, march your cute butt and come help"

Jackson laughed at her stern tone and quickly followed.

"My goodness, Johnny, I think a miracle has happened, he's actually helping" Cindy joked with her husband as Jackson took some of the stuff from her arms

Jackson laughed sarcastically "If I wasn't so scared of what bodily harm my girlfriend may inflict, I would be on the couch watching a football game"

"No you wouldn't, you would be helping your parents like a good boy, because I promise Jackson, you wouldn't like the bodily harm I would inflict" Melissa smirked winking at Johnny and Cindy

They carried the stuff into the living room and sat down to eat. Jackson knew whatever happened with Melissa was far from over but for now, her being temporarily happy was just going to have to be enough.


	13. The Song

Johnny and Cindy smiled upon watching their son and his new girlfriend, it seems Jackson had finally found someone he could be happy with. Even though Melissa was a bit emotional after everything with her parents, Jackson didn't seem to care, in fact he seemed to enjoy having someone that was dependent on him, even if Melissa did vehemently deny that she was a bit dependent on him.

The night after Melissa's little emotional meltdown (last chapter), they had settled in to watch a movie and eat. Johnny and Cindy couldn't help but notice that Melissa stayed beside Jackson and when they were sitting on the couch together, she had curled into his side, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her, every once in a while, they would see Jackson lean down to kiss her or head to whisper something to her that made her smile faintly even though she had, had an emotionally exhausting day and it looked like she could afford to sleep a few days.

"Mel" Jackson whispered looking down at his girlfriend who was fast asleep "Mel"

He chuckled as he realized that Melissa wasn't going to wake up, he carefully unwrapped himself and stood up before turning back to Melissa. Carefully so as not to wake her, he picked her up and carried her to his bed, fully intent on telling her everything she had taught him, from them having to go through all of this. However glancing down at the girl in his arms, he decided that, that could wait for another day, right now his girlfriend needed his help and he needed hers (still has anemia remember), and that was going to have take priority right now.

Later that night, Melissa was sound asleep, having found a new pillow, also known as Jackson's chest but Jackson wasn't sleeping, being perfectly content to just watch her sleep. He knew she was having a hard time recovering from her emotional wreck of a week, and he knew it would also be hard in the future as there would probably be many more occasions where she just wanted it all to end. He gently rubbed slow, lazy circles on her bare shoulder, her tank top strap having falling down her arm. He watched as she moved in sync with his chest.

He wondered how one girl could teach him so much. This girl had taught him everything about life and love in the span of about two weeks, she had the answers to questions, he had been searching all of his life to find, and then one hospital stay and he was finding out the answers to his questions.

She taught him that life is rough and sometimes you just want it to end, but if you had someone who would stick with you and just hold you, didn't even have to talk, just hold you then sometimes you would find that life, rough as it may be, was all worth it. She had taught him that love had some hardships and that love wasn't always reciprocated, but you always loved someone regardless of whether or not they loved you back, call it instinct or human nature if you will.

"It's just another morning glory, one more twisted side of this wild ride, another chapter in the story, but I can't hide the way I feel inside" He sang, the verses forming in his head, seemingly fit with the situation

He would figure the rest out in the morning but right now, he needed rest so that he could have a much needed talk with his girlfriend in the morning, not about what she had done, but what she had taught him, and how she had taught him that. It didn't matter that he was being sappy and would continue to be sappy for as long as he was with Melissa, which would be as long as possible if he had anything to do with it.

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The next morning Jackson awoke to the sun streaming through the curtains of the window. His mind didn't quite register what was resting on his chest, until he looked down and was met with a face full of silky black hair. He smiled upon realization. Crawling out of bed, after gently detangling himself from her, he headed to the shower deciding she needed to sleep some more. After showering and shaving, he dressed in a black wife beater and a pair of comfortable denim jeans before heading to the kitchen to start preparing breakfast in bed for Melissa.

He greeted his mom and dad and then went to work. He grabbed everything he would need and quickly whipped up a breakfast for Melissa which included french toast with extra cinnamon just the way she liked it (this is actually my specialty, french toast with a lot of cinnamon), scrambled eggs with pepper, bacon, toast, coffee and orange juice. He grabbed her book off the coffee table and put it on the tray with everything else and headed back to her room.

"She's really changed him" Cindy smiled, looking at her husband Johnny

Johnny chuckled "I seem to remember someone did the same to me, maybe it runs in the family the Jackson men will always be changed by women"

Cindy rolled her eyes as she sipped her coffee, reaching over to playfully slap her husband "Right I couldn't change you then and I can't change you then you're still incorrigible"

"But you love me anyway" Johnny smirked leaning over to kiss her cheek

"Don't flatter yourself" Cindy teased her husband

He pouted playfully "You wound me"

Cindy chuckled as she stood up and kissed her husband "I'm sorry, I do love you but I can't resist teasing you"

Johnny laughed as he watched her walk away, thirty years together and he was still just as in love with her as he had been when they had first gotten married.

Jackson, meanwhile, had knocked on the door of his room before entering to see Melissa sitting up in bed, watching the sun finish it's morning rise.

"Good Morning beautiful" Jackson greeted walking in with the tray

Melissa smiled softly as he walked over to her "Hmm that smells good"

"I figured you might be hungry, we have french toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, coffee, and orange juice. Oh and I grabbed your book from the table" Jackson told her setting the tray down on the bed in front of her

She patted the bed beside her "Get your cute butt back in this bed"

He smirked micheviously as he joined her "Cute butt huh? So the truth finally emerges"

"Don't flatter yourself too much honey, keep the ego in check" Melissa smiled leaning over to kiss him good morning

He kissed her back, breathing heavily when they finally parted "I'm getting used to that"

"So am I, and I could definitely get used to this every morning" Melissa smirked taking a bite of her breakfast

They sat in bed for two hours, sharing her breakfast, talking and laughing. Johnny and Cindy were watching TV when they heard a loud shout.

"MELISSA, GEEZ WOMAN ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME, STOP THAT TICKLES" Jackson shouted as Melissa attacked his abdomen with her fingers

Johnny shared an amused look with Cindy "Still as ticklish as he always was"

"That's why it's called tickling honey" Melissa giggled her retort a few minutes later

They heard a loud shriek followed by a "JACKSON, STOP THAT TICKLES"

"That's why it's called tickling honey" Jackson smirked

They heard Melissa come running down the hallway giggling, followed by a heavily breathing and laughing Jackson.

"Try and catch me Jackson, I don't think you can" Melissa taunted as he chased her around the living room, much to his parents' amusement

Jackson laughed as he caught her by the waist and tickled her, causing her to giggle even more. She spun around away from his fingers and leaned up to kiss him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

She was panting when they pulled back but managed to whisper "I'm sorry about this past week"

Jackson decided now was as good a time as any to tell her, so he picked her up bridal style and carried her to his bedroom, closing the door.

"Alright we have to talk" Jackson told her dropping her gently on the bed "Now first of all, no more apologizing, I've heard quite enough of that. Second of all do you have any idea what you've taught me this past week"

Melissa shook her head so Jackson started his speech.

"Mel this past week, you taught me that life is rough, and even though you might want it to end sometimes, if you have someone there for you, you won't want it to end. You taught that loving someone can be hard and even though it's not always returned, it's still our nature to love, especially you, you are a very loving person and that's something you taught me" Jackson told her tenderly wiping tears from her face "That's how I got the inspiration for the song I'm about to sing to you"

He grabbed his guitar and even though it wasn't completely finished, he had enough of it in his head to sing it for her. He started the song by softly strumming an intricate tune.

Finally he started singing, his guitar providing him with a tune "It's just another morning glory, one more twisted side of this wild ride, another chapter in the story, but I can't hide the way I feel inside, cause I'm a stranger in a strange land and I'm a million miles from home and if I gotta take my last stand, I won't stand alone, I won't stand alone" Jackson sang smiling at Melissa

When he was finished he sat his guitar down and turned back to her "See Mel, even though you think it's been a tough week and it has, you can still learn from all of this"

She tackled him in a hug "I loved it"

"I'm glad" Jackson whispered holding her in a fierce hug

In a barely audible voice he whispered "I'm so glad" into her thick black hair.

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**Hey People, hoped you enjoyed chapter eleven!!! **

**Disclaimer: *sighs sadly* I, unfortunately, do not own the gorgeous man that is Johnny Pacar, although I wish I did own that perfect specimen a man! Nor do I own that awesome song! **

**REVIEW!!! **


	14. Love and Revelations

"I'm so glad"

Besides his barely audible words, no other sounds could be heard in Melissa's bedroom. They stood in the middle of the room, wrapped in a tight embrace. They only broke apart when Melissa laughed, obviously thinking about something.

"You know, when we first met, you were just some silly rockstar suffering from anemia, exhaustion and obviously suffering from burnout" Melissa giggled before sobering up "Now, you mean more to me than anything"

"Well when we first met, to me you were just some another witty, sarcastic nurse" Jackson chuckled kissing her forehead "Now you mean so much to me, and you taught me so much it's hard to believe you couldn't stand me when we first me, or I couldn't stand you"

Melissa laughed moving to wrap her arms around his neck as they continued to talk enjoying the fact that they could finally have some private time to talk.

"I never thought I would be able to help you much less answer your questions about life" Melissa admitted to him "When I first saw you, I thought you were a lost cause-at least in the sarcasm area"

Jackson chuckled holding her at her ribs "I thought you were a lost cause with the whole come-back thing"

"I think we were both lost causes, just not in the way we thought" Melissa admitted

"I was a lost cause with the music and you couldn't seem to accept your parents, or rather your parents couldn't accept you" Jackson whispered leaning down to kiss her forehead and then her eyelid

Melissa sighed sadly "It's hard, knowing that your parents don't accept you want them too"

"What happened with your parents?" Jackson asked her

Melissa sighed softly "That night, after I had called the police and anonymously told them what happened, I went home and found my dad waiting for me. I forgot that I was supposed to be home all night, he was waiting for me and told me something about being a sorry excuse for a daughter and my mother, being the ever supportive wife, backed him up. She didn't stand up for the only daughter she had. I started yelling at my dad, we got into a fight and I ran upstairs, packed a bag and left. I moved in with my aunt and that was the end of my relationship with my parents. I never called them, but they called me. They tried to bring me home but my aunt fought to keep me and I chose to live with her so they had to leave me there"

"My parents were fine when I was little but as soon as I got into high school, things got worse" Melissa admitted

"Did they ever physically abuse you?" Jackson asked his girlfriend

Melissa shook her head "No, but emotionally, I was scarred, and the other day just reopened old wounds"

"Mel" Jackson started, unsure where of he was going "You know, even if you can never work things out with your parents, you'll always have me and my parents"

Melissa smiled softly "I know and I'm glad"

Jackson smiled and leaned down, capturing her lips with his own.

Outside the door

Cindy leaned into Johnny, tears streaming down her face.

"We have to tell him Johnny" Cindy whispered to her husband

Johnny pulled her closer to him and whispered "We will hon, when we know more"

"What's there to know Johnny? I'm dying of cancer" Cindy sobbed quietly

Johnny held his wife by the shoulders and looked at her with his soft brown eyes "Now Cindy, we don't know that, they may be able to do something, alright, honey?"

Cindy nodded and buried her face in her husband's shoulder "I love you too much not to believe you"

"I love you too" Johnny whispered

He smoothed his wife's hair and kissed her head.

Cindy was dying of cancer, Johnny knew that, he couldn't deny that, but he couldn't let his wife get so down, she gave up.

Cindy Jackson was dying of cancer and there was nothing anybody could do about it.

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**Alright, I know the ending of this chapter was unexpected by one of the main reviewers of my story pointed out that the whole Johnny/Cindy dynamic seemed a little to perfect, so I did this, now I'm not gonna take her off right away, it'll be in the sequel but the main thing is, I needed to add a little Johnny/Cindy drama, to the mix to kind of make it seem a little more realistic! **

**REVIEW and I PROMISE I'LL POST THE NEXT CHAPTER SOONER**

**The next chapter will probably be the last, they'll tell Jackson and then the sequel will pick up from that! Seems a little weird but if I can do it, it shouldn't mess anybody up **


	15. Telling Her Son and The End

Johnny lead his wife to the living room, where they could talk. She had a fifty-fifty chance, which was only a chance not a guarantee (which is what my dad always tells me it's only a chance, not a guarantee). It was also a chance they weren't willing to take because it could mean her life.

"I" Johnny started hesitantly before finally deciding to just drag it out "I don't think we should tell Jackson until we know more"

Cindy ripped away from her husband "What's to know Johnny? I'm dying"

Johnny shook his head "Stop it, Cind, you have more options than dying, alright there's chemotherapy or radiation therapy"

"No, I don't" Cindy insisted

Johnny, frustrated with her behavior, grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. His grip was firm enough to keep her where she was but he made sure he was gentle enough not to hurt her. (He's trying to make a point, it's like when you're trying to convince someone, you grab their shoulders)

"Listen to me, honey, the doctor said there are new developments everyday, okay, you always have options, but Cindy I'm not gonna let you go, not without a fight, I love you way to much to let you go, to give up this easily, it's not gonna happen" Johnny insisted "Cindy when I agreed to love you till death due us part, I didn't mean for it to be this soon, and when I promised to stay with you in sickness and in health, that means cancer too, not just the flu or a little cold, that means everything. Cindy you mean everything to me. I love you Cindy Lee Anne Jackson and I'm not gonna let you die, no matter what"

Cindy sobbed "Why is this happening Johnny? Why me?"

He moved to brush her cheek with his right hand his left still holding her shoulder "I can't answer that sweetheart, but what I can answer, is this, we're gonna get through this, no matter the out come, if I have to pack our stuff and move in the hospital, I'm gonna be there"

Cindy sobbed, her hot tears falling onto his strong hands "I love so much Johnny"

"I love you too Sweetheart, and that's why I can't let you give up on yourself" Johnny whispered pulling her into his arms

Once she was sure she was calmed down enough, Cindy pulled away and wiped her eyes "I want to tell him, I need to tell him"

Johnny nodded "Alright we'll tell him"

"Jackson, Melissa can you come out here for a second?" Johnny called to Jackson and Melissa

Jackson and Melissa came into the living room and noticed that Johnny looked sad and Cindy had been crying.

"Jackson, come here for a second honey" Cindy told her son

Jackson walked over to his mom and let her take his hands "What's going on mom?"

Cindy sighed "Honey you know I love you right?"

"Yea, I love you too mom" Jackson said, still confused by what his mom was trying to tell him

"Jackson, a few weeks ago, I started feeling sick, after a week I was still sick so your dad took me to the doctor, he ran some tests and Jackson I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer" Cindy told her son, as tears streamed down her face

"You're kidding right?" Jackson asked quietly secretly hoping this was a joke

"No, son, I'm not, I have cancer" Cindy told her son

Jackson couldn't believe it, but it was true, he could tell by her blue eyes that she was telling the truth. Jackson pulled his mom into his arms, holding her just like she used to do when he was little and would have a nightmare. She had been there for him when he had nightmares and now he was going to be there for her during her nightmare, no matter how long it lasted.

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The rest of the day passed pretty quietly after that, nobody really wanted to acknowledge the conversation that had taken place earlier. Jackson had gone back to Melissa's bedroom. Melissa had followed and nothing could be heard from that part of the house. Cindy sat on the couch, Johnny beside her, not saying anything, just sitting with her.

"Cind? You Alright hon?" Johnny asked her brushing some blonde hair from her face

Cindy nodded "I'm fine, could you do me a favor?"

"What is it hon?" Johnny asked

"Monday, I want you to call the doctor, get the information on chemotherapy and the best hospital to go to, to get it, if I'm gonna fight this, I'm gonna need some medical help" Cindy smiled slightly

Johnny smiled and leaned over to kiss her head "That's my girl, first thing Monday I'll call the doctor and get the information sent over"

"It's gonna be hard Johnny" Cindy admitted, her voice unusually small

Johnny nodded, the somber expression returning to his face "I know it will sweetheart, but Cind, if it means you don't have to die, than I'll fight it with you"

"Good I'm gonna need you" Cindy admitted

Johnny smiled slightly, despite the situation "I'm counting on that"

He stood up and held out his hand "Now come on, beautiful, time for bed"

Cindy nodded and stood up to go with her husband. They walked to bed, not knowing what the future was going to hold but also knowing that whatever happened they were gonna be there for each other, no matter what.

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**This is it. It's over. Not completely I'm going to write a sequel, but as for Burnout, this is it! Thank you to Jelissalover, Dally2 and all of my FABULOUS REVIEWERS, Good, Bad, or otherwise! *sobs* Goodbye!**

***low voice* And Don't forget, press the purple button in the bottom left corner and leave all your love!!! **

**Disclaimer: Sadly, Johnny Pacar has not yet agreed to be my own personal love slave, so I'm stuck writing about Cody Jackson, which isn't entirely unpleasant but having the real thing would be a lot better! **

**I would also like to dedicate this chapter to all of the brave women out there who are fighting or who have fought or know someone who has fought or is fighting breast cancer! **

**October: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH!!!!! DON'T FORGET, WEAR PINK!!!! **


	16. Beautiful Love On Hiatus!

Hey People,

I'm pulling my story Beautiful Love until after the New Year, because my lap top is dysfunctional! I'm So Sorry.

To JelissaLover and Dally2: Thank you so Much for all of your help, I love you guys!

I'm also going to be taking a break from posting until after the New Year!

Thank You,

Annoyed in Texas 2009


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